


Come a Little Closer

by petersfeather



Series: Found Family [10]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hopper - Freeform, Dad Hopper, Implied pedophilia, Jim's about to arrest every woman in Hawkins, M/M, Objectification, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Woops, but i swear it's not explicit!!, it's not gratuitous, just beware, older women preying on a 17 yr old, referenced underage groping, that sounds more intense than it is, that's what's going on here, unwarranted advances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 02:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21510115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersfeather/pseuds/petersfeather
Summary: Imagine Hopper finding out that older women are flirting with his boy (saying inappropriate things, touching him and what not). And its before Billy is with Steve. And Hopper have a talk with Billy about that he doesnt need to behave like that with older women anymore.~~~“Why’d you even entertain that, huh?” Hop asks. Billy bites the inside of his lip and looks for all the world like a nervous little boy.“Because…If I don’t talk they touch me more. To get my attention or some shit I dunno. And it's…nice to see them smile at me I guess. I don’t fucking know.”
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Billy Hargrove & The Party, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Joyce Byers & Billy Hargrove
Series: Found Family [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534922
Comments: 12
Kudos: 272





	1. Keepin' It a Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Imagine Hopper finding out that older women are flirting with his boy (saying innapropriate things, toching him and what not). And its before Billy is with Steve. And Hopper have a talk with Billy about that he doesnt need to behave like that with older women anymore."
> 
> ~~~
> 
> So when the woman reaches a hand out and caresses Billy’s shoulder and squeezes his arm a little with another loud laugh, Hop is storming across the street. He's a force to be reckoned with as he watches Billy tense up and play it off as a flex and Hop is there in a _flash_ , saying: “Any interesting gossip today, Mrs. Peters?”
> 
> Billy swings his head around. He stops biting his knuckle as soon as he sees it's Hop.
> 
> “Oh no! Just chatting with your boy here. You know, he’s a _very_ handsome young man”
> 
> Hop, by some kind of miracle, keeps himself from snarling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there!
> 
>  **PREFACE:** This series is full of a bunch of asks from my blog [@okaybutlikeimagine](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/) where lots of lovely and gorgeous people have decided they like my writing enough to ask me to write things! So these works are going to be pretty casual and pretty random! (I'm trying to take out the shorthand but I might miss some). I might also add some content/polish some stuff up on here. So just be aware of that! **These are not full blown fics** , these are ficlets at best, but really they're just responses to asks on Tumblr. I was asked to post these all in one place here on AO3 for following and bookmarking reasons, which is why I'm doing this! **If you're JUST here to read full blown fics and not little ficlets like this, then sorry but this might not be for you!**
> 
>  **Warning:** As I mentioned in my tags, there's slight pedophilia in both of these chapters! There's nothing intense or explicit, it's just women preying on teenagers and if that makes you uncomfortable, _please_ beware of that! I'd hate to blindside anyone ♥
> 
> I'm mad about the whole "Karen and Billy" thing AND the whole "Showtime Ladies" thing and so I rant about it a bit i'm Sorry ~♥ i know he's not a child but he's a minor and it just isn't right.
> 
> You can find the prompt in the summary
> 
> (title of fic and chapter from My Sharona - The Knack)

So Billy is 17 in season 2 and even if he _maybe_ is 18 by season 3, that’s just BARELY LEGAL and Very Gross and our society let’s women off the hook for preying on young boys because it’s seen almost like “lucky” for the boy?? Like “what boy wouldn’t want a 40 yr old woman wanting to fuck him????” And that’s super gross!! And awful!!

But ANYWAY I’m gonna say that Hop had that same mentality. He might have even had a little one time tryst with the woman who lived next door back when he was in high school. He really didn’t think a lot of it because she always said if he wouldn't do it then it’d be with the milkman and Hop always thought that dude was a skeeze. He felt he was doing her a favor by... "helping her out". He even knew a few kids growing up who had women after them, taking them to Woodstock when that went down, making everything look like they just thought the boy was a “handsome young man”. I’m gonna say that Hopper let all that shit slide in the past because it just seemed _normal_ to him. No one else ever made a big fuss over it. Any adult who found out just gave them oddly secret smiles.

But then he saw it happening to Billy.

Hop is out on a call, helping a cat out of a tree or something mundane, when he hears a loud laugh and looks over to see it’s Mrs. Peters and….. and Billy. His _son_ , Billy. Leaning his elbow up against the top of his car and chuckling a bit with the loud woman. He’s biting the knuckle of his thumb, smirking around it a bit but _that’s_ what alerts Hop because, sure, the boy has only been living with them a few months, but Hopper knows that he only does bites his knuckle when he’s anxious about something. He’ll do it when he has a big test at school or when he accidentally breaks a glass while washing it.

And so they’re talking (well she’s talking and Billy will occasionally say something that makes her laugh even LOUDER) and good fucking _luck_ to whoever Jim was supposed to be helping because he’s watching this woman like a _hawk_ as she lightly touches her exposed collarbone and graces a finger over it gently and that’s all the hint Hopper would ever need to invite a woman home but it’s a dirty fucking _trick_ to play on a hot blooded 17 year old. Because to her, Billy is just any hot blooded teenager.

But joke's on her. Because Billy shifts his weight closer to his car and Hop _knows_ the boy is trying to leave. Because Hop knows Billy prefers boys. He’s told him (albeit very hurriedly and nervously) and he can only imagine how uncomfortable he must be.

So when the woman reaches a hand out and caresses Billy’s shoulder and squeezes his arm a little with another loud laugh, Hop is storming across the street. He's a force to be reckoned with as he watches Billy tense up and play it off as a flex and Hop is there in a _flash_ , saying: “Any interesting gossip today, Mrs. Peters?”

Billy swings his head around. He stops biting his knuckle as soon as he sees it's Hop.

“Oh no! Just chatting with your boy here. You know, he’s a _very_ handsome young man”

Hop, by some kind of miracle, keeps himself from snarling.

“Well, don’t let him keep you here. I know he’s got a motormouth. Can talk for hours….”

Billy rolls his eyes at that. Knows both he and Hop know it's not true. The woman giggles, blissfully unaware.

And after she leaves, Billy tries to get into his car with a quick goodbye, but Hopper puts a hand on his shoulder, gentle so as to not scare the shaken boy more.

“What was that about?”

Billy shrugs. “She just wanted to talk, I don’t know.”

“Seemed a little _friendly_ for just talking.”

“Yeah well, a lot of the women around here are… _friendly_. I’m sure you know that, Chief.”

Hop doesn’t like that answer.

“Look, Billy I-… I don’t like how she was looking at you.”

“Don’t get jealous now, Pops. I’ll leave some fish out there for ya.”

“Cut the crap kid, don’t forget I know-” but Hop stops himself short. Because they’re in public and no one’s paying them any mind but that doesn’t mean no one’s _listening_. Everything has ears in Hawkins, even the parked and empty cars.

Billy deflates a bit, putting his act off with a sigh.

“Why’d you even entertain that, huh?” Hop asks. Billy bites the inside of his lip and looks for all the world like a nervous little boy.

“Because…If I don’t talk they touch me more. To get my attention or some shit I dunno. And it's…nice to see them smile at me I guess. I don’t fucking know.”

~And I just wanna say that we talk a lot about Daddy issues and YES, I agree, those are major, but can we talk about mommy issues too over here??? Because I see a Billy who knows he’s hot as hell and basically a suburban-mom-yearning-for-a-divorce’s wet dream. And his own mother left him with a man who tormented him his whole life and Susan shows no care for him so he never had that mother figure who gave him support and comfort and solace. He was left behind by the only real mother figure he ever had. Tell me that wouldn't make a kid feel unwanted?

So when these mothers show him interest and invite him in for cookies or offer to buy him alcohol, all in exchange for the ability to give him lewd glances and to squeeze his arm or (sometimes) pinch his ass…Well this is just the relationship he has with older women now.

And Hopper feels awful that this boy has gotten so used to this. He thinks about all of the boys he’s seen getting touched by older women and tries to think if they looked uncomfortable. Tries to remember their faces. Tries to think about how oblivious he's been in the past... how many years has it been? Actually, he doesn't want to think about it at all. 

He tells Billy that those women shouldn’t be doing that.

“No one else cares.” Billy shrugs.

“Yeah sure but… there's no way in _hell_ someone like me would be getting away with doing that to a _girl_ your age.”

“You sad you can’t touch teenagers-?”

“Shut _up_ , Billy. I’m saying it shouldn't be any different. And you shouldn’t feel like you needed to do that just to get respect from those women. You’re not a... a... a fucking _toy_ for them to play with.”

“You’re gonna have to tell all the lonely women of Hawkins-”

“Look they all subscribe to Cosmo for a reason. They can use that. If they keep bothering you, let me know and I’ll set it straight. Somehow.”

~~~

With all that said, Billy is absolutely shocked and awed and a little teary when he meets Joyce. Hop and her are dating and they all hang out for dinner every now and then and Billy learns Joyce is a badass who takes care of her sons like it’s her life goal because it fucking _is_ for her. And Billy is washing dishes with Will after dinner one night and he has to bring Joyce up. Has to say something. There's something in him that makes him want to brag about her but she's not really his to brag about.

So some weird (and cooler) form of gushing is going to have to do for now.

He clears his throat over the running water.

"Your mom is uh... she's pretty cool."

Will eyes Billy before giving an amused little laugh.

"Yeah, she is." He agrees with a nod, drying a plate with pretty relaxed concentration. "She's the best mom in the world."

They stand there and continue to wash plates, Billy wondering what to do now, what to say now, when Will starts to speak again.

"Y'know..." Will starts, putting the plate on the counter next to him. "She really likes you."

And that hits Billy's heart funny. Makes him suddenly anxious in a way that feels sharp. Because the only thing that goes through his head with that admission is the look on all of those women at the pool. Those women in the checkout line at the grocery store. Those women in the parking lot of the high school. The women who used to follow him around the back of the gym when he'd go out to have a smoke after a basketball game. He thinks of every other woman and he feels himself start to shrivel down into something boiling and _angry_. Because she didn't feel like the type of woman to do that but... but he doesn't _know_ any better and it makes him feel so mad and so _small_.

He grumbles unknowingly, but Will is talking again and-

“Yeah. Like, when Hop’s around and you’re not she always asks if you’re eating well. Or if you’re sleeping alright. Or how you’re doing in school and all that.” Will says it with a shrug, like it’s nothing particularly new.

But Billy’s heart nearly _stops_ with how fast it beats from those words. He almost drops the plate he’s washing. 

“I know I almost died twice," Will starts up again, putting his plate down. "But if I didn't know any better, I’d think she worries more about you than about me and Jonathan.”

And now Billy’s going to _cry_. He hates it, it’s overwhelming and hot but he really can’t hold it back. This woman, who has absolutely no blood relation to him _whatsoever_ asks how he’s eating and sleeping. Asks about his schooling. Cares for him so much that she asks after him when she absolutely doesn't need to. She doesn't need to involve herself in his life at all but for some reason she _cares_. In a way that a mother cares about a child.

When he sniffles is when Will stops drying the plate in his hand.

“Billy? You alright?”

“Yeah.” He says, sniffling a bit with embarrassment weighing down on his chest. He pauses, feeling Will's gaze and it's too _much_ because suddenly he's... everyone's relationship to him is _changing_ and it's happening so fast and he's almost okay with it but it's just _too much_. 

So he splashes Will with the water in the sink.

"Hey!" Will cries out, kicking at Billy's ankle in retaliation. Billy chuckles as a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will forever make clear my discomfort of young kids being preyed on, esp boys, bc we so often brush it off and it really truly is not okay.
> 
> if you wanna read this specific post on tumblr, it's [right here](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/post/187338276538/imagine-hopper-finding-out-that-older-women-are)!
> 
> if you're looking for more of my stuff, check me out [@okaybutlikeimagine](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> catch me being lame on my main blog [@pointeful](https://pointeful.tumblr.com/).
> 
> thanks so much for reading and I adore your soul ~♥


	2. Give it Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What if Billy and his family/friends go to the pool to hang out and while he’s there the moms are still looking at him/flirting with him and either Hopper finds some kind of way to annoy/distract them or Steve gets jealous/get the other young adults/kids help him get them to back off/petty revenge. Or smth like that. Sorry if it’s confusing and keep being great at writing!"
> 
> ~~~
> 
> “What’s got _you_ all pissy?”
> 
> “Those women are disgusting.”
> 
> Billy takes a second before he snorts.
> 
> “Yeah, you get used to it-”
> 
> “Shut up, Billy.”
> 
> “C’mon, Stevie-boy, just because _you_ don’t get to ogle me in public doesn’t mean-”
> 
> “ _Shut up._ ” Steve demands, grabbing hold of Billy’s arm and stopping him cold. He feels the anger in his eyebrows, in his eyes, in his mouth and he knows he looks like he’s gonna start a fight and he’s fine with that. His next words are hushed so no one can hear. “You _know_ I dealt with shit like that too. It’s _stupid_. And gross. And they should leave you alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello my sweet dears!
> 
> **WARNING:** I briefly mention **pedophilia/non-consensual touching of a young teen (14-ish)** It's not explicit, but it's there! Just don't want anyone getting blindsided by it! I've marked the paragraph with two asterisks like this: ****** If you don't wanna read that, please skip that chapter!
> 
> **PREFACE:** This series is full of a bunch of asks from my blog [@okaybutlikeimagine](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/) where lots of lovely and gorgeous people have decided they like my writing enough to ask me to write things! So these works are going to be pretty casual and pretty random! (I'm trying to take out the shorthand but I might miss some). I might also add some content/polish some stuff up on here. So just be aware of that! **These are not full blown fics** , these are ficlets at best, but really they're just responses to asks on Tumblr. I was asked to post these all in one place here on AO3 for following and bookmarking reasons, which is why I'm doing this! **If you're JUST here to read full blown fics and not little ficlets like this, then sorry but this might not be for you!**
> 
> once again, i'm back to talk about how gross it is that women got to just openly ogle a young boy!!! i do mention/reference/imply slightly heavier stuff in this one, so just watch out!! I've tried to tag things as best as i can but if i need to tag it differently, pleasepleaseplease let me know ♥
> 
> prompt is in the summary
> 
> (title of fic and chapter from My Sharona - The Knack)

I get _very_ irritated thinking about Billy being preyed on by a bunch of mothers. And that’s not just Karen, that’s that big fucking _line_ of mothers at the pool who sit there and wait for Billy; wait to ogle him and objectify him and give him even _more_ Mommy Issues.

Because this boy was left behind. And I’m not here to vilify his mother, I swear I’m not, because i can barely understand what she must have been going through, but I try to think about it from Billy’s POV and I see a boy who had a mother who he loved, who he stood in front of, who he cried with and to and for and then she was gone. She was gone and she never came back and he watched her hurt and he watched her leave and he had to _stop_ watching her as _he_ got hurt because she _wasn’t there_. Because his own mother, whom he loved so damn much, left his life and _didn’t take him with her_. Didn’t tell him she was leaving, didn’t plan to take him, didn’t think about it and maybe she did but Billy wouldn’t believe it if someone said so. He wouldn’t.

She left him behind with a man she knew was a monster, a man she knew yelled at him and hit him.

So like. This boy got left behind by his _mother_. Was made to feel unwanted and dispensable.

So tell me why he wouldn’t preen- and I mean absolutely _preen_ -at the mothers who give him more than just the time of day. At all of the mothers who wink and flirt and smile and giggle and touch him like he’s fucking there to be touched. Like he’s theirs to touch.

And whatever he can find in himself to be grossed out by it is never major enough. Never hits him hard enough.

But it grosses Hop out. And the kids out. And his friends out. And _Steve_ out.

And I’m gonna come right out and say it: I think Steve might have gotten this kind of attention before too.

Because I fucking _swear_ , our society sees older women flirting with younger men and thinks: that boy is so lucky!! Wow!!! Look at him blush and get all nervous, how cute!!

And it’s gross. They call the boys “flirts” or say “what a ladies man” and it’s grossgrossgross. And I don’t want to vilify women, but I’m serious and have no qualms with pointing out the grossness of pedophiles. Because we too often allow women to be pedophilic towards young boys because we look at older women as sexual trophies and we raise boys to believe they must desire sex and Nothing Else and so attaining a woman’s attention is seen as a prize and not as a problem. It’s just that the objectification of boys leads to unhealthy body image and unhealthy behavior, _especially_ towards other women, and it’s just gross. No one is made to ogle, especially not young kids who are still growing into themselves. And Billy is obviously _very_ into his appearance. He primps and he preens like a goddamn peacock and it’s to get attention. It’s a very obvious move by a very neglected boy who wants to be the center of attention and guys... Steve does the _same thing_.

Maybe not to the same obvious extent, but the neglect of Steve is hinted at and we all talk about it and I fucking _believe_ it. I believe it whole-heartedly. This boy used to have women breathing down his neck _everywhere_. At the grocery store, at the department store, whatever. But especially at country clubs. When he was 14 and just growing into his features, just getting his new voice… all of his mother’s friends stared. Cooed. Pulled him aside to ask about how he was doing, how school was, if he _met any cute girls maybe?_ Always always _always_ interested in whatever girl he was dating. Always pressing for more and more details. Offering up their daughters like they were the prized possessions of Hawkins, Indiana. Mentioning “You’d always be free at our house if you started dating Suzanne, you know that, right? I just think you two would get along _so_ famously…”

Everything accented with a caress of his shoulder, maybe their thumb reaching too far over, too close to his chest. Making his heart skip but in a way that always felt too _heavy_. Too much like he was somehow doing something wrong. Like he was suddenly guilty of something he could never pinpoint.

So Steve understands the attention. He recognizes the looks when he sees them.

And he’s _furious_.

 ****** Because he _knows_ it’s not right. He’s realized it now. When Mrs. Parker got way too handsy when she was drunk and asked Steve if he _could be so gracious_ as to show her where the ladies room was, as if he fucking knew better than she or anyone else would, and then proceeded to pretend to stumble just so she could grope him…? Yeah, that’s when he realized. That’s when he _really_ realized. When he was 16 and confused and immediately frightened and she just giggled and made an apology tainted by a wink.

And he hates that shit.

Hates that his kids might have to deal with that (because they’re nearing the age where that shit started happening to him and it pisses him off). Hates that they have to be exposed to that. And hates that Billy has probably been exposed to it for longer than Steve will ever be aware of. It sucks it sucks it sucks.

And so he watches them. He sees the women eye him like they’re in the butcher section. Sees them push their chests out, tilt their heads up, bat their eyes enough to bring on an early tornado season. Sees them reach out to grab his arm and that’s when Steve sees _red_.

Steve turns into the tornado they summoned. He’s angry and fast and huffing and red. He storms over, mumbling angrily to himself about the woman, demanding “ _fuck off fuck off fuck off fuck off-_ ” under his breath until right before he gets to the group gazing at Billy and calls out: “Hey Hargrove!”

He says it like there’s animosity there and in a split second, as Billy turns quickly and smirks before he snarls around the toothpick in his mouth, Steve remembers.

_Right…_

There’s _supposed_ to be animosity there. They’re supposed to be the local enemies or whatever bullshit form of that. Whatever entertains their small town. Most people at this point know they’re on talking terms, some people know they’re friends, only a handful know they’re basically dating and go out every weekend. The handful of people they trust.

These women, obviously, are in the very widest circle of those boundaries. They’re gossips, but they don’t really know anything other than “those boys talk a lot.”

So when Billy turns to look, curls floating up around his face for a split second like he’s in a movie, Steve stares. For many different reasons, but mainly because _wow_ his boyfriend is pretty and he wants to kiss him but he _can’t_ and also these women are so _gross_ is that one _touching him_ oh fuck no, Steve is gonna do something but what can he do when he’s _literally_ in front of the fucking PTA board of Hawkins as they shove themselves at a minor and Steve is gonna _vomit_ and-

And Billy is staring, eyebrow lifted in question. The women mirror that same expression behind Billy’s back, aimed at Steve as well.

“Uh. Uhm… uh. Your sister is… stuck. In the pool filter.”

Billy’s expression flits through a lot of things in a second before stopping at baffled.

“Wha-? She’s stuck in the _pool filter?_ ”

Steve is gonna kick himself in the teeth. He sighs.

“Just… come over here. She needs you.”

Steve tries to get himself to turn around like he doesn’t care but the fact is he can’t take his eyes off of those women. He watches Billy shoot a look and a shrug to them as he saunters over to Steve and past him, barely pausing to let Steve pick up a similar pace. It doesn’t take Steve long to do.

“Stuck in the pool filter? Are you an idiot?” Billy mutters under his breath, sauntering alongside Steve.

“Shut up.”

Billy eyes Steve with some kind of irritation that Steve knows he’s trying to use to mask his actual concern. It’s always like this in public. Steve just sees it out of his periphery; doesn’t bother to take the time to turn his head and look.

“What’s got _you_ all pissy?”

“Those women are disgusting.”

Billy takes a second before he snorts.

“Yeah, you get used to it-”

“Shut up, Billy.”

“C’mon, Stevie-boy, just because _you_ don’t get to ogle me in public doesn’t mean-”

“ _Shut up._ ” Steve demands, grabbing hold of Billy’s arm and stopping him cold. He feels the anger in his eyebrows, in his eyes, in his mouth and he knows he looks like he’s gonna start a fight and he’s fine with that. His next words are hushed so no one can hear. “You _know_ I dealt with shit like that too. It’s _stupid_. And gross. And they should leave you alone.”

Billy’s expression is on the verge of changing but Steve’s chest is too heavy so as soon as he’s done talking he lets go and keeps walking towards their group of kids splashing around in their corner of the pool.

And I talked about it before, but I think that Hop dealt with the same thing too. When Hop was in high school he sat there and watched his friend get swept away by an older woman, heard everyone calling him “lucky” when they found out, even chorused along with them when she took him to a concert. Quietened down with the rest of them, too, when he said he didn’t want to talk about what happened afterwards…

So Hop has seen this stuff and didn’t say anything about this stuff but now he has a LOT to say about this stuff because, in all honesty?? _Fuck_ this stuff.

So he’ll see these women flirt with his boy at the pool, when Billy’s wandering around in tiny shorts and his sunglasses that hide his eyes, and Hop storms over much like Steve stormed, but with a lot less young vigor. Steve is a whirlwind, much like Billy (whether he admits to it or not) while Hop is a seemingly soft gust of wind with just enough force to push you to the ground and make you question how it happened.

So he approaches that way, unassuming until he hits, coming up behind Billy and immediately dominating the conversation, talking to the women about their daughters and sons and the things he’s seen teens doing recently “just to let you know. Wouldn’t want to see Samantha getting swept up into the wrong crowd, right?”

And the women nod, eyes wide, sending quick glances to each other in fits of worry that are distracting enough to let Hop guide Billy away from them by his shoulders.

“You guys are too fucking much.” Billy mumbles like he’s mad, but there’s a chuckle in his words. Hop hears it.

“Language.” Hop says with his eye on a little kid running past them. He pats Billy’s shoulder a few times before letting go and walking by his side.

And the kids???? The kids have caught on. Max gags whenever she sees them stare and El glares so hard the diet coke can sitting next to one of them explodes. (That one has actually become kind of a problem. Mrs. Hassel is fully convinced that Diet Coke explosions are common and has written to the company. As far as rumors know, they haven’t gotten back to her. But she doesn’t drink Diet Coke anymore.)

Anyway, the kids notice and the kids see Steve get upset by it and the kids don’t _really_ understand all too much what’s going on but as soon as one of those women touches Billy, it’s all over. They’re _done._

So they use themselves as distractions. They swim over to that side of the pool and fight in the water. They cannonball so that the women + Billy get splashed (Billy always feigns anger at this, save for the few times that they splash hard enough to get his hair wet. THEN he’s REALLY mad) They run around behind the lawn chairs the women are lounging on or even in front of them so they can zig zag their way around Billy and give him a real good reason to be fed up.

They provoke him to get him to go after them, to give him an excuse to get away, and then an excuse to stick close by so he can keep an eye on them.

“One of you is gonna get hurt if you keep doing this. You little idiots.” Billy grumbles as he marches away, following the kids like he’s an officer following inmates, except these inmates are bouncing as they walk and turning around occasionally to talk to him.

“Yeah, well, it got you away, right?” Will asks, walking a little faster to walk next to Mike, who’s walking the fastest and grumbling to himself because seeing those moms always reminds him of his own mom and it’s _weird_.

They’re all very irritated and very protective and after a while it gets to the point where they don’t let Billy go anywhere near there without one of them accompanying him. He always has at least 3 kids, 2 teens, _or_ 1 Hop accompanying him at all times. Sometimes it mixes, but the point is the same: he’s never alone at the pool.

It’s kind of completely frustrating.

“This is so _stupid_. I feel like the president.” Billy says as he walks to the bathroom with Steve and Dustin.

“Just keeping you safe. You’re _welcome._ ” Dustin says with snark. Billy snarls good naturedly in his direction.

And so the women eventually fade off. Because Billy doesn’t work there anymore so he’s never quite on Display like before but rather now he’s always surrounded by a bunch of kids daring each other to push or pull him into the pool until one day he just kind of… _slips_ in and the curly haired girl laughs the most at that as Billy waves his arms through the pool hard and creates big waves of splashes that make her shriek and run away.

And that’s the last time the women watch him. That’s the last moment they see before they turn their attention away because at this point it’s just _weird_ to watch a boy surrounded by a bunch of children.

And Billy really wasn’t aware of the stress that whole situation always put on him until it’s gone. Because now that it’s gone, he doesn’t feel like he has to perform for all of them anymore. Their touches were never as calm and serene as his mother’s were and he knows that now because he’s gotten it back now. Because _Joyce_ touches him in that same maternal way his mother used to except it’s not tainted by the act of patting a bruise as well and sometimes Billy just feels _too_ lucky.

But he’s not about to complain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not only is HOP gonna fight all the women in Hawkins, but so are the kids AND Steve!! bc everyone loves Billy now, shush, let me live.
> 
> if you're looking to find this specific post on tumblr, it's [right here](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/post/188450868988/what-if-billy-and-his-familyfriends-go-to-the)!
> 
> if you wanna read MORE of my stuff in it's Original Tumblr Setting, check out[@okaybutlikeimagine](https://okaybutlikeimagine.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> if you're interested in me being lame, come find me on my main blog [@pointeful](https://pointeful.tumblr.com/).
> 
> thanks soso much for reading, I appreciate it with all my heart, and i adore your soul ~♥


End file.
